The Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race starting on the Boxing Day every year is known to be one of the toughest long ocean races. It wouldn’t be wrong to note that Boxing Day in Sydney is almost synonymous with the yacht race! It is a major summer sport of Australia that attracts viewers and contestants from the different parts of the world, not to mention the media!

The race starts at Sydney Harbour attracting spectators who gather in large numbers along the shore as well as on cruise boats and other vessels. Helicopters hover at a distance above the contesting fleet to catch the excitement of the race for the various visual media around the world.

Cruise boats provide special cruises on this day providing also the best vantage points to view the beginning of the race. Aboard the Sydney Showboat, one can cruise around the Sydney Harbour and catch the spirit of the race as the crews of contesting yachts warm up for this world-famous event, and view the start at close quarters. The luxury cruise boats of Magistic Cruises are chartered exclusively by private groups to watch and share the thrill of the sport.

The cruises take you near where all the action is allowing you to experience the actual excitement of the race! And the delicious seafood buffet freshly prepared onboard adds to the joy of the ride!

With festivities and celebrations galore, Melbourne Cup Day in Sydney is no less exciting than in Melbourne. There are numerous venues holding numerous functions that come up with new and exciting events every year.

Leading hotels organise live telecast of the race and serve choice buffets with exceptional wine along with live entertainment and fabulous parades and exciting contests that give away prizes for the best dress, the best dressed, the best hat or the best tie. Connoisseurs of fashion reveal fashion tips and trends for the season. The frenzy in Sydney is no less than in Melbourne with lucky draws and sweeps.

Sydney Harbour is the choicest of venues where functions are organised at several waterfront locations where the race and the Carnival events are shown live on plasma screens in the setting of spectacular harbour views.

There are cruises that take you around the harbour and serve you not only the best food and wine, but also the best views of the harbour! On the pre-Melbourne Lunch Cruise operated by Magistic Cruises you get to see the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge from different fantastic angles and several other famous landmarks before you return ashore in time for the pre-race events. If you can handle all this excitement in one day, just go for it!

Diwali or Deepavali, as some call it, meaning Festival of Lights, is a festival that spreads love and a sense of sharing. People all over the world are attracted by its pomp and splendour and solemnity.

Australia has been celebrating the Festival of Lights in the recent years in a style that befits its glory! The celebrations have been held in places as famous as the Sydney Olympic Park and the Flemington Racecourse, where the famous Melbourne Cup is held yearly. This year, the Parliament House of NSW will remain illuminated from October 17 to the month end. With the theme being “Australia – An evolving multicultural nation,” the celebration is going to generate much creativity and fun!

The celebrations at Parramatta Stadium have all the Indian ingredients – the food, the Bollywood music and dancing, the fireworks and even the intricate and exquisite mehndi or henna tattoos!

However, the Diwali celebrations offered by the Sydney Harbour surpass them all! The harbour, which is very beautiful during the day with the world’s most beautiful icons and lovely landmarks strewn all around and the different hues of blue reflected by the sky and the sea, is all the more so during the night with the distant city lights, the stars and the sparkling waters. And what’s more, there are Diwali cruises where you can celebrate the festival while cruising around the harbour! Magistic Cruises, in addition to their lunch and dinner cruises, offers a Diwali Party Dinner Cruise that has all the elements of Diwali including Indian vegetarian food, Bollywood DJ and dancing, Indian code of dressing, special lighting and whatnot! Imagine celebrating the Festival of Lights on a starry night sailing on the dancing waves of Sydney Harbour!